I want to share my awful interview experience to show how rude and wrong some employers can be: I had an interview with a company called "Don Pezzuto Lighting & Electrical" located in Sacramento, CA, a family owned business. Now, I'm very observant by default and was excited to have this interview hoping it would lead to something positive. Once I walked in, I noticed the office was very small and not cleanly at all. It's was a run down office, unorganized and stuffy.

Anyway, I also noticed there were other candidate there for the interview as well, and their tiny office was overcrowded. You first had to fill out an application, and attach your resume while waiting, and their interviewing process was unrealistic in my opinion. Nevertheless, I stuck it out from beginning to end to maintain my professionalism. Each candidate interviewed played musical chairs to meet with three different people:

(1): The current employee who's position a new candidate would be replacing. (2): The wife of the owner. If she liked you, she would pass you onto her husband. (3): The owner (husband) himself.

Each candidate would meet with each of these people which would take minimum 45 minutes-1 hour (ridiculous, but okay). Once I was called up next, I met with person #1 (the soon-to-depart-employee), she asked me a few questions, communication was clear, and all was good to proceed. I go back into the small non-existent lobby, and wait 45 minutes - 1 hour to meet person #2 (the wife of the owner), once I'm in her office, she reads my resume and application and asks me one honest question: "where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?". I answered honestly just as anyone would answer this question "If I had the opportunity, I would love to own my own photography studio someday" (I am also a photographer btw). Her instant response to me is "I don't think this position is for you because I see that you have future goals, and I just don't think that someone like you would take this position seriously. I'm not going to have you meet Don (the husband/owner)." At this point, I felt completely blindsided and treated unfairly by this person assuming that I wouldn't take their position seriously just based on my an answer to a question. My response to this was "I'm sitting in front of you today attempting to interview for this position, putting my best efforts forward because I believe you can benefit from my experience, and I'm confident I can do the job but I feel that your automatic assumption stemmed from an answer does not reflect my professional intensions, and for you to automatically deny me the chance to give you a strong interview is unfair to me as a candidate". Her immediate response was "I'm sorry if I misjudged your true intensions. My mistake". At this point the interview with her ended, and out of pity, she allowed me to meet person #3 (her husband). once I meet him, he shakes my hand, reviews my resume and application and his first form of communication to me is "well, I'm not going to pay you $x.xx per hour, that's for certain".My instant, defensive (but professional) response was "I'm not sitting in front of you demanding to be paid $x.xx per hour. Pay is something that can be negotiated if I'm given a fair chance and/or selected for this role. My first priority is finding the right fit with a respectable company who can benefit from my experience in combination with new experiences". At this point, he was silent, had nothing to say regarding pay, and proceeded with the interview. This was his conversation with/towards me:

** asks me a question ** (I attempt to answer it, but he interrupts me) - This process is repeated several times throughout the interview.

In the middle of the interview (while showing me what the position duties are), he asks me the following questions:

Owner: How old are you? ** mentally knows he shouldn't ask these questions but answers anyway ** Me: 34

Owner: Do you have kids? Me: No.

Owner: Are you married? Me: No.

Owner: So you started working at xxx when you were 22? Me: Uh, yes. ** where is he going with this? **

Owner: Wow, so you're in your mid-thirties, you're not married, you don't have any kids, how have you been able to get this far in life by yourself without a partner? Me: ** Did he really just say this?? *** Well, I've always been an independent and capable person. And just because I don't have a family of my own doesn't mean that it should stop me from wanting to be successful.

At this point, the interview ended because he cuts me off, and says "We will follow up with you if you're selected to move forward. Thank you for coming in." I left feeling like I just came out of an interrogation while being insulted repeatedly. Needless to say, I wasn't selected, and it's for the best.

To other job-seekers, observe your surroundings, and the people you encounter. You learn a lot about someone just by observing them. You never know how any interview is going to turn out these days, but they should never be like this or make you feeling like you're fighting for a chance.

#awfulinterviewexperiences #interrogation #donpezzutoisrude #sacramento #theysaidwhat #rudeapproach #mistreated #nofairchance